He Got Game -- Ben and Mariella

Annotated Bibliography- “He got Game” by Spike Lee

Muslin, Janet. "The New York Times Log In." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times - The New York Times. 1 Jan. 1998

Janet Muslin focuses mainly on how Spike Lee leans on his very strong characters and bold imagery to provide the force behind this film. She touches only briefly on the plot itself, mostly because this film, as well as many others by Lee, doesn’t necessarily need it to captivate his audience. She gives a lot of credit to Denzel Washington for his role in the movie. He typically plays a charismatic patriarch with mass appeal whereas here he pulls a complete reversal and plays the loser father who is trying to leech onto his son’s success. Muslin points out how this movie contains the common Lee motif of his protagonist being placed in a situation in which he is being pulled in opposite directions and must make a difficult decision. Overall, she believes the film signifies Spike Lee’s return to producing very powerful and haughty films.

Tatara, Paul. "CNN - Review: Lee at Top of Game with 'He Got Game' - May 5, 1998." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 5 May 1998.

Paul Tatara gives a very critical review of this film; he admittedly is not necessarily a fan of Spike Lee. Although he does say that this is perhaps Lee’s best film, he is quick to point out its flaws. He says that it suffers from the issue of Lee trying to make so many points and convey so many messages and once that the film becomes cluttered and difficult to decipher. He agrees that Lee is great with his visuals, but disagrees that this alone is enough to carry the film. He credits a void of passionate directors for Lee’s public appeal and success. He seems to lack objectivity it his review, catering mostly to push his personal dislike for Lee’s style. Tatara agrees that Denzel is the most powerful actor, but believes that the current NBA star Ray Allen who plays Denzel’s son give a “nervous, flat” performance. In his opinion this weak acting couples with subpar screenwriting to really hold this movie back.

Levy, Emanuel. "He Got Game." Variety Movie Reviews (1998): 1. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 19 Apr. 2010

Emanuel Levy focuses the first half of his article on a simple synopsis of the film. This makes his critique seem much less insightful than others because of this. He explains how the corruption and exploitation of student athletes I this country is explored by the film. Levy ultimately agrees with the popular sentiment that the weak screenplay and poor plot drag this movie down. He also believes that Spike is trying to make too many points for a single film, but his uniquely flamboyant visuals work to counteract conceptual shortcomings. I think this review lacks an effective analysis of the characters calling Denzel’s performance “solid,” but essentially stopping there. This is the first review I have seen that praises Ray Allen for his performance and claims it to be “an utterly convincing performance that draws on his youth and vulnerability.”

McDonagh, Maitland He Got Game Review. TV Guide, 1998. Web. 18 Apr. 2010

http://movies.tvguide.com/got-game/review/132905

Maitland McDonagh begins the review with a synopsis of the overall film. This Spike Lee creation begins with a young and talented basketball player named Jesus who lives in a broken family because his mother is dead and his father is in jail for the murder of his mother. The conflict then arises when the governor offers to reduce the Jake’s (played by Denzel Washington) sentence if he convinces his estranged son to attend the governor’s alma mater. After the synopsis the critic McDonagh analyzes the performance of Ray Allen who plays Jesus in the film, McDonagh highlights that Allen surprisingly stood his ground during scenes with Denzel but also played a subtle role in scenes with Zelda Harris. Although the McDonagh enjoyed the performances, he believes that the jazz music was not the most fitting for the film because of the “specific historical and aesthetic associations.” Overall, the critic believes that the film was emotionally touching because the controversial issue did not overpower the drama of the film.

Ebert, Roger He Got Game. Chicago Sun-Times, 1 May 1998. Web. 18 Apr. 2010

0304/1023>.

Ebert begins the review with praise for Spike lee. He notes that Spike Lee is rare filmmaker who reminds us all that films aren’t only about the dialogue but also about the images that the audience is introduced to. With this introduction, Ebert emphasizes how Lee may have possibly taken an easy route by showing the viewers a montage of NBA clips but instead he chooses to show American children from different social, economical and racial backgrounds. Ebert interprets this as a way for Lee to show us the power of basketball and the love for the game that we all have. He goes on to analyze different scenes of the film and concludes that this film wasn’t about winning or sportsmanship like many believe but about capitalism. In the end, He deems the film a success and a win for all parties (both the viewers and characters).

Stack, Peter Lee Plays Uneven 'Game'. San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Sep. 1998. Web. 18 Apr.

2010 .

Peter Stack finds himself in the middle with this film review. He mentions that the drama and story create an emotionally riveting film, but that the dialogue and sexual scenes retract from the purpose of the film. Stack believes that the message of this film is most important for the young members of our society, but the fact that the scenes are very crude and sexually explicit block the young audience from a great film. Ultimately, Peter Stack praises Denzel Washington and Ray Allen’s capability to complement one another on screen; he also highlights Lee’s ability to show a message of integrity and hard work through the obsession of basketball.